Laboratory

waste
management

Dr. Zain Alhindi

Why is safety important?
O Coming in contact with human blood or blood
products (plasma, serum, etc.), or with
certain chemicals used in the laboratory, is
potentially hazardous.
O Safety involves taking precautions to protect
you and coworkers against infection, injury
or poisoning
 Key elements for safety in
clinical lab
O Identification of significant occupational
hazards (biological, chemical, fire &
electrical) and how to deal with each of
them.
O Effective waste management.
 Safety equipment
O Clothing (lab coats/gowns).
O  Gloves.
O  Eye protection.
O  Eye/Face washers.
O  Heat-resistant gloves to handle hot glass &
dry ice
The main functions of the laboratory
waste management system
O Classification of hazardous waste
O Proper packaging
O Effective labelling
O Proper storage of waste
 Laboratory hazards
O Biological
O  Chemical
O  Electrical
O  Fire
Classification of biomedical
wastes
Hazardous Waste:
O There are many materials that come out of
laboratories that are unsafe or dangerous, and
must be disposed of with care.
O Radioactive materials, highly caustic or poisonous
chemicals, biologically contaminated materials,
sharps, etc.
O The procedures for handling these materials are
established with each lab in concert with
Environmental Health and Safety.
 Hazardous waste
Any waste that directly or indirectly represents
a threat to human health or to the
environment by introducing one or more of the
following risks:
O Explosion or fire
O Transmission of infections
O Chemical reactions
O Toxicity
Classification of biomedical
wastes
1. Hazardous Waste:
A. Solid
O Gloves
O  Surgical suture & staplers.
O  Wound dressing
O C atheters, tubes, gowns,
masks, scrubs
O Lab animal carcasses
B. Liquid
O Blood
O Body fluids & tissues
O Cells, organs, tissue cultures
Classification of biomedical
wastes
2. Chemicals:
Small quantities of a few chemicals are permitted to be
placed in drains for disposal, but this should be done
only after clearance from Environmental Health and
Safety (EH&S).
Classification of biomedical
wastes
3. Sharps/Broken Glass/
Autoclaved Materials:
Some materials are safe enough to be
sent to the landfill if they are not
biologically or chemically contaminated.
However, because these items pose a
physical danger if handled, they must be
placed in designated yellow red-lidded
boxes which are picked up by a special
truck.
 Waste categories
1.  Infected sharp wastes (needles, surgical
instruments).
2.  Infected non-sharp wastes (left over blood,
tissues, sputum).
3.  Non-infectious wastes.
 Colour coding system
O E ach wastes should be stored in the
container corresponding to its coded colour
O The colour coding system aim to ensure an
immediate identification of the hazard.
O Colour coding system for health wastes are:
O Colour yellow
O Colour red
O Colour black
 Colour yellow
O Yellow boxes for sharps
(needles, blades, broken
glass, slides, cover slips).

O Yellow bags (Human &

animal anatomical waste,
Infectious waste
(Pathological tissues),
cotton, dressing, Linen,
bedding.
 Colour red
O M icrobiology wastes (Lab
cultures, stock or specimens
of microorganisms, human
and animal cell cultures).
O  S o l i d w a s t e ( I t e m
contaminated with blood and
body fluids)
 Colour black
O N on-infectious materials
(paper, plastic packaging )
 Precautions for handling
wastes
O Washing hands after handling wastes.
O Handle all sharp and non-sharp wastes with
care.
O Ensure all lab equipment is in good condition.
O Sharp infectious wastes are considered as
the most hazardous wastes and must be
managed with most care.
O Spillage should be immediately dealt with to
avoid spread of infections and dangers.
 Packaging of the wastes
O P lace hazardous waste in sealable
containers.
O Containers must be kept closed.
O Glass bottles with waste must be packed in
bigger containers.
 Labelling of the wastes
O Should be accurate and fully explained,
Contain:
O  name of the depart.
O Lab group name
O Contact person details
O Hazard class
O Date
 Storage of wastes
O Use appropriate size.
O Do not make containers too heavy.
O Containers must be tightly sealed and not
leak.
O Containers must be correctly labelled.
 Transportation of wastes
O Moved in a designated
trolley with the following
specifications:
O Easy to push.
O Should not be used for
any other purpose.
O Marked with HAZARDOUS.
O Easy to lead and unload.
Vehicle used for transportation
Waste disposable methods
O Burning
O Recycling
O Incineration
 Steps for prevention of
biological hazards
O Never perform mouth pipetting.
O Barrier protection (gloves, masks, gowns,
protective eye wear)
O Frequent hand washing.
O Keep the hands away from mouth, nose, eye
& mucous membrane to avoid self-
inoculation.
 Cont.
O D econtaminate all surfaces & reusable
devices after use.
O All patient specimens to be treated as
potentially hazardous.
O Dispose off all sharps appropriately.
O Hepatitis B vaccine to be taken by all
employees at risk of accidental exposure.
 Cont.
O Handle bottles of chemicals carefully.
O Glass containers with chemicals must be
transported in rubber/plastic containers
that protects them from breakage.
O Hold the bottle firmly around its body (Not by
the neck).
O Never pour water into a concentrated acid.
Acid should be poured slowly into the water.
O Label the bottles properly.
Any question?